Rain
by Satiah
Summary: No matter where they went, the rain would surely follow. Soaking, brooding, and cold, all Itachi has in such bad weather are his thoughts. Perhaps the playful Kisame should leave him alone? Well, perhaps. But he probably won't.


Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto

...

It was raining again. Why did it always rain whenever the two of them were sent on missions? It never rained on anybody else.

Deidara and Sasori were sent to Suna...nope, no rain there. Deidara and Tobi were sent splashing around in the middle of the ocean, hunting giant Bijuu turtles...and there was no rain. They later blew up some woods and a giant snake...while staying perfectly dry. Kabuto was a back-stabbing spy and merrily traversed along foreign bridges, seeking to destroy Sasori...with not a cloud in sight. Hidan and Kakuzu toured a few temples and most of Fire Country...during the dry season. Zetsu frequently poked his green, leafy self out of dense forests...and, still, even he encountered no rain.

Now, he…he and Kisame…had previously been caught in a rainstorm. He had stood out in the friggin' wet, exhausted, and feeling emotionally empty due in response to the misinformed rumor concerning the death of his little brother.

Why was it so cannon for them to be rained upon?

Itachi sighed as he pointedly took his gaze from the rapidly descending sheets of water outside the mouth of the cave. He turned his uncomfortably cold body more towards the warmth of the fire blazing in front of him, and tried to ignore Kisame's happy splishing noises from outside.

Kisame, on the other hand, was having a grand old time, frolicking in the downpour. He enjoyed the wet weather, as it cleansed and hydrated his uniquely shark-like body. It washed away his worries, comforted him, and reminded him of home: of a past life he could still clearly visualize. Unlike Itachi, Kisame hadn't hated _everyone_ in his home village. He had fond memories of playing with kids his age and hanging out with his friends until they all went their separate ways when they became jounin.

No, it wasn't hatred that caused the unfortunate deaths of his fellow villagers. It was more of a need to display his abnormally monstrous strength. Receiving his one-of-a-kind sword, Samehada, boosted his ego as a young man, and he was often overcome with the testosterone-induced need to show off to the ladies. Of course, this resulted in him doing stupid things. Like decapitating a potential girlfriend's ex-boyfriend just to show that he could.

Ah, yes. The rain helped him slip into reminiscence. He could remember a lot of things when he was out in the rain. Things that he usually pushed aside so as to not have them interfere with his day job. It wasn't like working for Akatsuki was difficult. Of course, the Kyuubi was proving himself to be a slippery eel to catch. It was irritating not being able to nab something one-third his size.

He couldn't say Naruto was half his size. It might offend Itachi.

Kisame chuckled as he thought about how short his partner was. But, boy, did the little guy pack an attitude. Itachi'd sooner destroy the world than smile at anybody, or anything, for that matter. But it was alright. After a few years of traveling with him, Kisame was somewhat able to read the glares, death-sentences, dead-pan looks, and heavy silences Itachi was so fond of giving off. Hell, if that guy showed any semblance of emotion, Kisame was sure he'd be shocked right into cardiac arrest.

However tough Itachi tried to be, Kisame knew better. Itachi was still human, after all. There was the tiniest bit of a soft spot at the innermost core of that ice-glazed heart of his. You could _almost_ see a flickering glimpse of it if you strained your eyes enough. But, Kisame was sure the frost of Itachi's bitterness hadn't _completely_ seeped through.

Not yet, anyway.

Nah, Itachi had a soft spot for attention. Feeling superior because to his label of 'genius', he liked to be listened to. No, actually, he liked to be _obeyed_. However, if you just went along with his demands (however silent, they were still commands that you dared not ignore) you started to realize that Itachi wasn't _entirely_ frozen over. He glared and hated and generally detested the world, but he still liked the world's attention.

Itachi would never confess to it, though. But it was there. A few words when he was angry, telling him it wasn't worth the effort to internally seethe so furiously at people who were ignorant of everything; or perhaps just a hand on his shoulder, ever so slight, letting him know his partner was still here to back him up, so he needn't try to take on the world by himself. Little things. Hardly noticeable.

They actually made a world of difference.

Glancing behind him, into the mouth of the cave at the grumpily brooding figure staring into the fire with such intensity it was a wonder it didn't automatically bend to his will, Kisame grinned. Yes, it was there. Somewhere. Itachi had a ghost of a feeling of _something_, if not already tolerance, for him.

Otherwise, there would have been some sort of violent retribution for having to put up with yet another night in a cave with this kind of rain.

The most likely outcome of Itachi's chosen method of retaliation? Kisame would have died one completely roasted shark.


End file.
